Composite steering wheel



Aug. 2s, 1923, 1,466,235

4 J S. KNNEY oonrosrm STEERING wt-:EL

filed Dec. 14; 191e WITNESSES NVENTOR .MJS/M j Jian/ey K/hney XATTORNEYPamesa Aug. 2a, 192e.

UNMEE STT PATENT FFECE.

J' STANLEY KINNEY, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0`llI*lS'.I.INGr Y HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, ACORPORATION0F PENNSYL- COMPOSITE STEERING WHEEL.

Application led December 14, 1918. Serial No. 266,735.

Y To all wiz-,om t my concern Be it known that l, J STANLEY KINNEY, acitizen of the United States, and al resident of Wilkinsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Composite Steering Wheels, 'of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to steering wheels for vehicles andmoreparticularly to that part of the wheel constituting the gripping member.The primary object of my invention is to provide gripping members forsteering wheels of such character' that they shall'be exceptionallydurable in service and pre-possessing in appearance.

@ne object of my invention is to provide gripping members for steeringwheels by employing a comminuted materia1,.such as cork, which has ahigh coeiicient of friction and uniting it with a binder which, whensubjected to heat and pressure, forms a hard and unitary body.

Another object of my invention is to provide steering wheels withgripping members which shall be unaffected by moisture, wide temperaturechanges, oils and weak acids.

A still further object of my invention is to provide gripping membersfor steering wheels which may be applied to steeringwheels frames of anytype and which may be of such composition that the finished article willadd to,`rather than detract from, the appearance of a vehicle, as awhole.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the drawings, in` the several views of whichcorresponding numerals indicate like parts, and thenV particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view, p-arts bei broken away, of asteering wheel construete in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is across sectional View, on a larger scale, taken along the lien Il-H ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar cross sectional view taken along the lineIII-III of Fig.

1; Fig. 4 is a diametral sectional view ofathe steering wheel shown inFig. 1; Fig. 5 1s a plan view, parts being broken away, of another typeof steering wheel to which my invention may be applied; Fig. 6 is across sectional view, on a larger scale, taken along the line VI-VI ofFig. 5; Fig. 7 is a similar cross lSectional view taken along the lineVII- VII of Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along theline VH1-VIH of Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along theline IX-lXof Fig. 5; Fig. 10 is another cross sectional view takenalongr the line X-X of Fig. 5 and Fig. 11 is a diametral sectional Viewof the steering wheel shown in Fig. 5.

l may provide a Steering wheel with a gripping member or a coveringdisposed upon the periphery of the steering-wheel frame, in accordancewith my invention, by employing a molding composition comprising a.comminuted material having a high coefficient of friction such, forexample, as

cork and a finely divided material, 'such as preferably' constructed insuc manenr that the material having a high co ficient of friction isconcentrated in that part of the f' gripping member the least exposed toview and the outer or more conspicuous portion oi the gripping membermay be formed of .a

composition which, when `molded, presents a decorative surface. rPheultimate composition employed is, in each instance, essentially thesame, the ingredients being varied in proportion to attain therequiredresult.

A gripping member may be provided for a steering wheel, in accordancewith my invention, by impregnatin ground cor with a binder, such as a penolic condensation roduct. The cork may be impregnated liy placing adesired quantity in a standard mixing machine with a suitable amount ofa phenolic condensation product in a liquid form and thoroughly mixingthe two.4 A finely divided material, such as wood flour, may also bemixed with a phenolic condensation product, lpreferably in a powderedform, after which the impregnated cork and the wood ilour, mixed withthe binder, may be placed in a suitable receptacle and mixed in desiredproportions. A molding composition formed in this manner may be appliedto the circular rim of a steering-wheel frame and molded thereto bylapplyingheat and pressure in a suitable mold. Gripping members may alsobe provided by molding a composition, such as described, to desiredshapes which may then be secured to the steering wheel frame by anysuitable fastening means, such as screws, suitable openings beingprovided in the gripping members to receive the fastening means.

In Fig. 1 is show a portion of a steering wheel provided with. grippingmembers formed in accordance with my invention. In this instance, thesteering-wheel frame l is of one piece -and carries a ring 2 upon whichgripping members 3, are fastened. rIhe gripping members 3, in this case,may be preformed to desirable shape to constitute separable sectionswhich may be secured together about the ring 2. As shown in Fig. 2, theuppermost sections or parts 4 may be molded with metal inserts 5 tappedto receive screws 6. The lower parts or sections 7 of the4 grippingmembers 3 may be formed with openings 8 to permit passage of the screws6 and are of such dimensions as to permit the screws 6 beingcountersunk.

Gripping members thus formed may comj prise a plurality of moldingcompositions of such character that the upper sections 4 may be morehighly finished or decorative in appearance than the lower sections 7which may possess a higher coeflicient of friction. However, if it isdesirable that the gripping members possess a high coeflicient offriction throughout their entire surfaces, the

' upper and lower sections may both' beaconstructed of the same -moldingcomposition.

In any event, the three ingredients, namely cork, wood our and phenoliccondensation product are employed. If it is desired that the upperportions have a higher finish, the wood flour predominates, and if it isdesired that a high coefficient of friction be obtained, a greaterpercentage of cork is employed. It has been found, by extensive tests,that ldesirable proportions of material may be had by employing from 25%to 50% ground cork and the remainder wood flour. p

The separable sections 4 and 7, as shown in Fig. 2, may be constructedby impregnating the cork and mixing it with wood flour which has alsobeen mixed with a phenolic condensation product and the composition maybe disposed in a suitable mold, along with the metal inserts 5 providedinthe sections 4, and there subjected to heat and pressure to compact itand harden the binder, channels being provided in the sections, bymolding or otherwise, to receive the ring 2. The formed sections 4 and 7may be disposed on opposite sides of the ring 2 and the screws 6 maythen be threaded intoplace to secure the sections together.

A grlpping member may also be provided, by my invention, for4 a steeringwheel asshown in Fig. 5. In this instance, a molding -composition may bepositioned about the rim 9 of a steering wheel 10 and the rim, with itssurrounding composition, may be placed in a mold and there subjected 'toheat and pressure, is strongly bound to the metallic rim. this figure, aslightly different type of frame is shown to illustrate a furtheradvantage of the gripping members provided by my invention. In thiscase. the frame l() is composed of yseparable sections, each sectionforming substantially a quadrant, which, when secured together bysuitable means2 such as screws, constitute a wheel. The moldingcomposition, being molded directly upon the rim and. in this instance,upon adjacent portions of the frame, serves not only whereby thecomposition y 'In to furnish means whereby the wheel may be operated butalso to supplement the fastening means whereby the separable framesections are secured together.

The molding composition may be varied, in this case. in substantiallythe same manner as that in which the gripping members are constructed asseparable preformedy parts. This may be accomplished by concentratingthe cork in that part of the composition surrounding the rim of thewheel which will be least exposedto View, while the remainder of thecomposition may comprise ahigher percentage of wood flour and, in thismanner. a decorative finish may be provided for lthe more visible parts.i

IV hen the steering wheel is to be applied to vehicles in which theappearance of the wheel is of minor importance, the gripping members arelpreferably constructed of a steering wheels provided withgrippingmembers in accordance with my invention, it is obvious. that,with minor changes in the proportions of the ingredients, various otherapplications may be found therefor,

and I desire that no limitations shall be imposed except such as areindicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my'invention:

1. A steering wheel comprising a metallic frame and gripping membersadapted to be secured thereto. each of which consists of a plurality ofmolded compositions.

2. A steering wheel comprising a metallic frame, a plurality of grippingmembers of 'molded material, certain of which have metallic inserts, andmeans (zo-operating with the metallic inserts fastening the grippingmembers thereto.

3. A steering Wheel comprising a metallic frame, a. plurality ofgripping members, formed of ground cork and Wood flour impregnated witha phenolic condensation.

ing tapped metallic inserts molded in one l part of each member, wherebythe members may be fastened to the frame by means of screws passedthrough' openings provided in the other part of each member'and'threaded into the inserts.

5. A steering wheel comprising a metallic frame and two-part grippingmembers, composed of molded compositions, one of which has a highercoeicient of friction than the other, secured tothe frame.

6. A steering Wheel comprising a metallic frame and two-part grippingmembers composed of molded compositions containing cork,- wood flour anda' binder, one of said members having a higher percentage of cork thanthe other.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th dayof Nov.,

J. STANLEY KINNEY.

